Paxton voters to decide budget, school override May 6

By Richard J. Hafey CORRESPONDENT

Monday

Apr 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Voters will act on a 19-article warrant that includes the operating budget, changes in the Wachusett Regional School District and the approval of two cruisers, a truck-plow and a firetruck at the annual town meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. May 6 in Paxton Center School.

The Finance Committee has finished its preliminary budget of $11,090,088, an increase of 406,689, or 4 percent, and has a projected a deficit of $49,334.

Other highlights of the meeting include a bylaw clarifying the duties of the town administrator and appointing the town clerk and treasurer-collector, rather than electing them.

Voters will also act on a Proposition 2-1/2 override for a portion of the Wachusett Regional School District assessment, freeing up funds to cover the deficit.

If the override of $131,590 passes, Finance Committee Chairman Richard Fenton said, the deficit will be covered, leaving $82,256 to be put into the Stabilization and Capital Depreciation Funds or into free cash to protect the town’s bond rating.

The two cruisers and two trucks are the only money items on the budget, but they will not affect this year’s operating budget. That is because the Capital Improvement Committee has recommended taking money from its Capital Depreciation fund to pay for them. The fund would provide $58,192 for two Ford Interceptor sedan cruisers, to replace the 2004 and 2006 Crown Victoria cruisers; $55,325 for a Ford 350 pickup truck-plow to replace the existing 1996 truck; and $22,500 for a pumper truck to replace Engine 2 and the Rescue Truck.

The pumper truck will cost $450,000, but the bulk of its cost will be covered by a $427,500 grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, through the office of U.S. Rep. James F. McGovern, D-Worcester.

Selectmen have expressed concern about one of the five articles proposed by the Wachusett school committee.

That article proposes reducing the committee’s size from 22 to eight and weighting each town’s vote according to population; Holden would have four members and Paxton, Princeton, Rutland and Sterling two each.

Selectmen raised questions about the weighted vote and the effect it might have on subcommittees.

The annual letter from the Finance Committee, which accompanies the meeting warrant, notes that there have been increases from last year’s “severe cuts” in the budgets of the police (15 percent), fire (14 percent) and emergency service (17.6 percent).

“These levels will restore police coverage to the town,” the letter says, “and enable these departments to cover deferred expenditures.”

Discussing the override for the WRSD assessment of $5,369,656, the letter stated the committee “felt town residents should be given the opportunity to provide full funding of the WRSD assessment through an override.”

The budget also includes a 2 percent cost of living raise for town employees and notes that the exclusion of road resurfacing from the DPW’s budget “continues our reliance on Chapter 90 (state) funding to keep your roads serviceable.”

Other changes noted by Mr. Fenton point out that the budget “partially restores many significant across-the-board reductions that were imposed on the town departments last year. It also covers a deficit in the snow budget that resulted from a harsh winter.”

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